The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) released the results of the 2016 GRESB Real Estate, Developer and Debt assessments and the data shows that real estate companies and funds are improving across the board.
The reports show positive developments in conditions of environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, including a 1.2% reduction in energy consumption, 2% reduction in GHG emissions and close to 1% reduction in water use.
The GRESB, a data provider for ESG performance of real estate assets, found these results from gathering numbers from participants consisting of 759 real estate companies and funds.
"The 2016 GRESB data demonstrates that the global real estate sector is working to manage its carbon footprint, build resilience in the face of climate change and respond to more stringent environmental regulations,” says Nils Kok, CEO of GRESB. “In 2016, 90% of property companies and funds reporting to GRESB are integrating carbon management strategies into their investments. These actions have contributed to a 2% annual decrease in carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking 704,464 passenger cars off the road.”